Descending is great, so here are our tips on going faster, safer, and have having more fun.
Look where you want to go.
When descending, you need to look at the road ahead and soak up all the information you
can that will help to tell you how fast you can go. But ultimately, it’s important to
look at the line you want to take, not at the things you want to avoid. You’ll find
that you naturally ride where you look, so take your eyes off that pothole.
Brake before corners, not through them.
As well as scanning for possible hazards, looking at the road ahead maximises your reaction
time, which is particularly crucial for cornering. The fastest way through a corner is to stay
off your brakes, as this gives you loads more grip. That does mean though that you’ll
have to do all your braking before you get there, judging your speed so that you turn
without having to brake again. When you’re really pushing it, this makes a big big difference.
If you do brake through corners though, and most of the time you can, do it smoothly.
Don’t grab the brakes, you’ll easily lose traction.
Hold your bars on the drops to increase control and lower your centre of gravity. Descending
on the drops will give you all sorts of benefits. Firstly, you’ll generally be more aerodynamic
when on the drops, so you can go faster with less effort. Secondly, you’ll have more
control, as you’re much less likely to slip off the bars if you hit a stone or hole, and
thirdly, it’ll lower your centre of gravity, so you can carry more speed through the corners.
Use all the road available to you, but no more.
It’s a difficult one this one, given that we almost all ride on open roads all of the
time. Of course, you need to be aware of traffic risks, but trying to smooth out corners makes
a big difference to the speed you can carry. Don’t follow a corner just because the kerb
takes you there. Why not use more of the road if you can and take a smoother line, clipping
the apexes? Remember though, be sensible.
Look for all hazards.
Riding fast needn’t be risky, you just need to be aware of the things around you, and that
means paying particular attention to the road. Be aware not just of corners but of other
obstacles like potholes, gravel, rocks, oil on the road, anything that you really don’t
want to come into contact with at higher speeds.
Move your body to optimise your weight distribution.
Don’t be afraid to throw your weight around. When cornering for example, place your weight
through your outside foot, with the pedal in the six o’clock position, and also through
your inside hand to help force your tyres into the road. Get this right and it feels
like you are slingshotting around corners. When braking, get your weight back to counter
the force of deceleration. Moving your weight for different situations is key to confidence and speed.
Think about your tyre pressure, particularly on wet roads.
Let’s face it, along with brakes, your tyres are the most important piece of equipment
on your bike when descending - they’re what provide you with grip through the corners,
and so it’s important that they’re in good condition whatever tyre you’re using.
Secondly, think about the pressure you’ve got in them - lowering it for wet days, to
say 80 or 90psi, depending on your weight, will provide you with a bit more grip. The
type of tyre can also make a difference, some simply outperform others on wet roads. Continental
are a particular favourite amongst pro riders, even if they can’t publicly admit it.
Give riders around you enough space to do unexpected things, particularly in sportives
and gran fondos. You can control everything that you do, but what you can’t control
is what other riders or road users are doing. On open roads, you need to be prepared for
anything, and that means giving other cyclists plenty of space, and making sure that you’ve
got enough braking room for almost any eventuality.
Don’t pedal through sharp corners in case you strike your pedal on the road.
This can be a really hard thing to judge, but pedalling around sharp corners, or starting
to pedal too early on the exit can lead to your pedal making contact with the tarmac.
This can be disastrous, as inevitably it’ll cause your rear wheel to skip in the air,
at which point you’ll be lucky not to make contact with the tarmac yourself. It’s something
which even the pros get wrong on occasion, as this slow-mo of Alberto Contador in 2013 shows perfectly.
Follow experienced descenders to learn.
Sometimes you just need to be taken a little bit out of your comfort zone to move your
speed on a bit. You might think you’re on the limit, but sometimes you can be shown
first-hand just how much faster you can go. Following another rider is a great way to
learn, particularly taking their lines through corners and judging braking. Be careful who
you choose to follow though. Good descenders are fast, but not all fast descenders are good.
Lucky number 11: Have confidence in your equipment
Start thinking about your front quick release when descending and I can almost guarantee
you’ll reach for the brakes. You need to trust the integrity of your bike when you’re
going quickly, and that could be fixed by something as simple as having a routine pre-ride check
to make sure you’re happy with your bike.